Safety gas-controller.



s. LfNEELY & WpA. MINEO.

' SAFETY GAS CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1913.

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'nvemtov SLJVQeZy l ViiMineo,

s; L. NBELY & w. A. MINEO. SAFETY GAS CONTROLLER.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY1 7; 1913. 1,074,132. v

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

V 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL L. NEELY AND WOODY A. MINEO, OF EDMOND, OKLAHOMA.

SAFETY GAS-CONTROLLER.

Application filed July 17,1918. Serial No. 779,649.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

valves and has particular reference to that type of such devices which are designed for application to gas pipes. j

It is a well known fact that loss of life is often the result of sudden reduction of pressure in the gas mains with the resultant cessation of the combustion of the gases and a consequent filling of the room or dwelling house with the gas fumes after the pressure in the gas mains has again returned to the a normal point.

Realizing this fact this invention aims as its principal object to provide a valve which may be interposed in the service pipes of the gas system and which will automatically close the service pipe leading into the dwelling house, or jet, immediatelyupon the falling of the pressure in the gas mains below a predetermined point.

An object of equal importance is to construct a device of the character above set forth which may be cheaply manufactured, durable and eflicient in its-action, and may be readily applied to any gas pipe in a minimum amount of time and with a minimum amount of labor. Y

The above and additionalobjects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which.

are appended hereto and form a. part of this application.

With reference to the drawings, wherein we have illustrated the preferred embodiment of our invention as it is reduced to practice. and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals desig-' nate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a vertical sectlon taken through the valve illustratlng' the various elements in operative assembled'relation, Fig. 2 is a top plan view,

and Fig.3 is a detail view. of the valve hub.

Proceeding now to the description of the drawings the numeral 10 designates as an entirety the metallic casing which formsthe body of'the valve of this invention. The

valve is interposed in the service pipe with the inlet, being indicated at 11, and the outlet,'at 12.. r

In practice'an inner substantially c lindrical casing or shell 13 is disposed within the member 10 and iscommunicant with the outer pipe 12, through an opening formed in its side and communicates at its upper terminal with the gas chamber of the valve, to be hereinafter described by the letter A. As a means for closing the outlet pie 12 when the pressure in the gas main has alien to a predetermined oint there has been provided a valve head esi 'nated as an entirety by the numeral 14. TlllS valve head consists essentially in a rubber or fabric disk 15 which is bolted or otherwise secured as at 16 to a valve arm or stem 17. A disk weight 18 is secured on the upper face of the member 17 to insure the dropping of the valve into sealing engagement with the valve seat 19 illustrated as being formed in the upper edge of the shell 13. A gasket 20 formed of brass or other suitable metallic substance is. secured in the lower face of the disk 15 by a the bolt 16.

The valve arm 17 carriesa hub or drum In this connection it is desirable to emphasize the fact that this invention contemplates the integral formation of the members 17 and 21, as well as the attachment of the two devices by any suitable fastening means, The member 21.consists essentiallyin an elongated cylinder which is loosely journaled on a shaft 22, one terminal 1 terminal extending-through a packing box '22 mounted within an opening formed in the side wall of the member 10. A cotter pin 23 is carried by the member 22 transversely thereof and adjacent one of the, terminals of the member 21. The one terminal of the shaft 22 is provided with a suitable hand wheel so that the shaft may be rotated and by means of the engagement of its cotter pin 23 with a stud or pin 24 will operate to lift the valve 14 from sealing engagement with the member 13 so that the gasmay pass through the chamber A from the inlet 11 and escape through the member 13 into the outlet 12-. I 1

As a means for locking the valve 14 in open position and for retaining it in its position until the pressure in the gas main has fallen below a safety point there has been provided a spring pressed lockin plunger 25 which is designed to be actuate by the movement of a diaphragm 26 in a manner tobe hereinafter described. Then the valve 14 has been disposed in open position in the manner above described the member 25 drops into a longitudinally extending groove 27 which is in a position shown by the dotted line in Fig. l and is formed in the member 21 and acts to hold the member 21 against negative rotation until the diaphragm'26 moves back into normal position due to a decrease in the pressure of gas in the main. In this connection it is to be observed that the diaphragm 26, which consists essentially in a thin sheet of flexible material, is mounted centrally and horizontally in a prolate metallic shell 28 which is formed in two sections and is bolted or otherwise secured as at 29 to an outwardly extending flange 30 formed integral with the upper edge of the side wall of the member 10. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 that the diaphragm 26 divides the member 28 into two'compartments and that a pipe 31 communicates at one terminal with the upper of these com artments as designated by the letter B an at its other with the chamber A. When the pressure in the gas main is reduced, the diaphragm 26 which has been affected by the pressure of the gas in the chamber B 1n such amanner as to cause the plunger 25 to be moved downwardly against the action of the helical spring 32 that. is wound about the plunger 25 and interposed between the member 26 and the journal box 33, will move back into its normal position owing to the tendency of the spring 32. As the diaphragm 26 moves into its normal position the plunger 25 is lifted out of engagement with the groove 27 in the member 21 and the valve 14 will close owing to theaction of the disk-weight 18 carried by the valve and the desired ac tion is had. This member 33 'consists'essentially in a cup member 34 which is in practice filled with oil or someother similar liquid and carries at its upper end a washer 35 to which the lower terminal of the spring 32 is fixed in any desired manner.-

' As a means.'-for permitting the issuance of the air from the lower chamber formed in the chain 28 there has been provided an air pipe 36. 'The purpose of this pipe will be apparent when it is noted that thedownward movement of the diaphragm 26 will compress the air within the lower chamber and it is therefore necessary to permit the air to issue therefrom in .order that the diaphragm need not move down against the pressure of the air as the case would be were an air outlet-not provided.

What we claim is l 1. A gas controlling device inbluding a body casing, a flexible diaphragm arranged.

therein, a-locking rod carried by said diaphragm, a valve mounted to control the outprovided with a longitudinally groove adapted to receive the said rod when the valve is in locked open position, said rod being adapted to be withdrawn from the said groove, permitting the valve to drop into closed position upon the reduction let of said body casing, a rotatable hub member for said valve, said hub member beingextending ofthe gas pressure in the said body casing I I below a predetermined safety point.

2. In a gas controlling device, a cylin drical casing, a cylindrical shell formed within said casing, a valve adapted to seat upon the upper terminal of said shell, a.

shaft journaled in said casing, a cylindrical member loosely mounted upon said shaft and connected with said valve and a locking rod adapted to engage last named cylindrical member to lock said valve.

3. In a gas controlling device, a cylindrical casing, a diaphragm secured to said casing, 21 valve operating within said casing, a shaft rotatably mounted withinsaid casing, a cylindrical locking member loosely mounted upon said shaft and operatively connected with said valve, a locking rod carried by said diaphragm and adapted for enga ement with said cylindrical locking member and means carried by said shaft and cylindrical locking member for rotating said cylindrical locking member.

4. In a gas controlling device, a cylindrical casing,"a diaphragm secured to the upper terminal of said casing, a valve mounted within said casing, a shaft-rotatably mounted within said casing, a cylindrical locking member loosely mounted upon said shaft, said cylindrical locking member provided with a longitudinally extending phragm and adapted for engagement with In testimony whereof we affix our signasaicl longitudinally extending groove, a pin tures in presence of two Witnesses. carried by said shaft adjacent one of the SAMUEL L. JEELY. terminals of said locking member and a pin WOODY A. MINEO. extending outwardly from the locking mem- \Vitnesses:

ber adapted for engagement with said first J. W. Po'r'rs,

named pin. i R. J POTTS.

Copiesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

